Mohamed Assaf Becomes First Palestinian to Win Arab Idol

Palestinian finalist Mohamed Assaf, from a refugee camp in Gaza, won the title of " Arab Idol" last night at the close of the show's second season. He beat out his Egyptian competitor Ahmed Gamal and Syrian competitor Farah Youssef.

He garnered the highest number of votes from viewers around the Middle East. After the announcement he'd won, Assaf, 22, saluted the people of Palestine "who have been suffering under occupation for decades."

It was an emotional moment, as Assaf is the first Palestinian to win the coveted title. And in addition to winning a snazzy new Chevrolet and an album deal with Platinum Records, he was named Youth Ambassador for UNRWA, the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, and Palestinian goodwill ambassador by President Mahmoud Abbas himself.

His finale song, the patriotic " link," nearly brought the entire audience to their feet.